17 posts tagged “java jane”
How did you create your username for VOX? What influenced your decision?
Submitted by Strive2Be.
I own/program an online 80s Retro Radio station, and my "DJ" handle is "Java Jane". I wanted something different from my station "handle" or username yet something semi-related. Thus Retro for the 80s flashback aspect plus Maven, because I'm supposed to be the alternative 80s "guru", as it's my personal music archive (which proudly contains many rare and downright obscure alt.80s songs, although the station is a mix between popular retro/new wave/synthpop and the more obscure stuff). That's it...
What's the infamous story people tell about you?
Submitted by Cherney.
OMG, there are sooooooooo many, some I'll tease you with here! If you asked this question in the last 9 years, the answer would be "none", as post kids, I've turned into the model mom and have pretty much renounced my former infamy. I'm still "crazy mommy", but not "infamous" crazy mommy! Prior to my kids, I've been pegged with monikers that ranged from "dePunka", and "Dangerous Deb" to "Wild Woman", and I always gave my friends and acquintances a new tale or adventure to tell, although fortunately, I always knew where to draw the line. My long term friends always ask me to write a book journaling some of my best stories, and we love to laugh as we relive them! Maybe one day I will write that book.
If asked, I don't know which of the many stories any given person might tell. There was the time in high school when we were reading the Merchant of Venice and the teacher was reading aloud the "boil and bubble, toil and trouble" intro lines and out of the blue, I felt compelled to I let out my best witch cackle at the top of my lungs, reminiscent of the wicked witch of the West's, "I'll get you my pretty, nah, hah ha ha" in The Wizard of Oz. The teacher and class fell to pieces in laughter and we laughed the whole rest of the class period. There was the time when I was in college where my girlfriend and I were flirting with some guys at the diner after being out all night, had breakfast with them, and all of a sudden, when we exchanged information, I realized the one guy was my former 7th grade teacher (albeit, he was cute)! Yuck! Maybe they'd tell of the time I worked for the U.S. Courts in Washington D.C. and while going to work every day in a conservative suit I cut my hair into a full on mohawk.
Could it be the time I worked for SONY in Los Angeles and due to sheer moxie talked my way into an extra roll on the 80s TV hit "Hunter"? Maybe it was the seat of my pants move across country, leaving a great job in NYC to move to L.A. with no job and knowing no one. Could it be the time I spent in Spain and all my adventures there, including dating a pop singer? Possibly it would be the time I went camping with my friends all of us clad in black leather and how we were stalked outside our tent by a black bear and ended up sleeping in the ranger's cabin??? Yeah, we were true hardcore campers - all clad in clubbing gear!
There was the time my girlfriend and I jokingly (and rather innocently) passed out "MPS" coupons to cute boys vacationing at the summer resort we worked at in high school, and when they got the idea they might cash in while we were out on a boat ride/water skiing trip around the lake, we dove off like a shot into the lake and ended up having to swim more than a mile back to shore. (Talk about naive and stupid!) That brings to mind memories the mad Algerian who stalked me all across Spain and wanted to take me back to Algiers and have me tend to his aging mother while he went off to cabaret all day. Yeah, that's right up my alley, bud...
It could be the time when my girlfriend and I were convinced we were being sold into white slavery in a Valencia night club. THAT is a story to be reckoned with, but at least led it lead to meeting our rescuer, a native San Franciscan living in Spain, which turned into a relationship, and later, once the relationship ended became an enduring friendship. Matter of fact, his sister flew in from the Bay area recently and we booked a hotel suite in Times Square to give our kids a "vacation" in Manhattan for a week and we did the whole tourist thing, something jaded, native NYers rarely do! Another friend could tell of the time driving back from a beach vacation where during the whole trip back, guys in a neighboring car were holding up signs to meet us, etc. and we were holding them up back inside our cars driving. We actually stopped and had dinner with them! Man, that would be a scary thing to think of my daughter doing today... I have so many exciting, interesting and sometimes hair raising stories from many moons ago, I don't know which one any given friend might relay about me, as there are far too many, many, too many to chose from, and many I just wouldn't share with strangers in a public forum, in order to protect the guilty, even if names were changed. LOL.
All I can say is I enjoyed my youth to the fullest, and because I'm generally confident and outgoing and not afraid to approach or be approached by too many people from all walks of life, it's opened many a door to adventure and light hearted craziness which have lead to many an infamous tale to be told. Yep, there were some risks (albeit only a few) that I took, that in hindsight I realize were flat out stupid. Thankfully they ended up well. Overall, despite being outgoing, adventurous and at times a touch crazy, I have maintained rewarding, solid friendships, and have many exploits and adventures for those involved to recount from the 80s to the early 90s. I think, along with all the infamous stories my friends have to chose from and might tell, along with any given story, I fancy they'd mostly likely tell of a caring, compassionate, true blue friend who has never betrayed their secrets or trust and who cares about them like family over the decades and that is what makes me most memorable and infamous to the people I hold dear...
I loved the way the book was written, it was just the lightening fast summer read I was looking for. On the surface, the book reads superficial and funny. If one really looks, there are a lot of deeper truths here.
For better or worse, I live in a neighborhood where having a nanny (even if it's part time) is pretty much standard issue (I don't have one, never have, never will as I am neither that affluent nor do I care to have someone else parent my children, but don't "judge" everyone who does, as some people legitimately need the help and are not completely "hands off"). Although none of my neighbors rival the wealth, "status" or snoot factor of Mrs. X, many certainly have parents that have "arrived" and they are on their way "up" the ladder too. I've seen the Mrs. X mentality first hand. I've seen children call their mom's the names of their nannies, or mom's being so out of sorts they can't function to care for their own children if nanny takes a day/time off. I've seen mom's brush off their kids with the "spatula" move and refer their emotionally needy kids to the nanny for care as mom is too busy being a show piece, uber career woman or too wrapped up in her own drama to be there for her child.
Despite being an easy piece of humor, this is also social commentary beneath the surface. Look a bit deeper and you'll see the book is an indictment of the truly rich and shameless who have made a cult of this style of child rearing. Fleshed out is their sense of entitlement (the air they breathe is definitely better than yours), the demeaning way they treat those around them they don't consider equals, the falseness of the lifestyle, the pretense, how child rearing is more about programming than hands on nurturing, that marriages are more about what you have, appearance and status, rather than a relationship.
Again, not because I sought it out or subscribe to it (quite the opposite), but by default, I have some of these pedigree folks living around me, and I've seen it all first hand, and I just can't help shake my head. This book put all my thoughts into words, even though I've never been a nanny, but have observed what nannies working for these folks endure. My kids have, for the first time in their lives, no one to play with this summer in our new neighborhood (camp "mom" is in session and part of the reason I've been noticeably absent on line), as kids are sent to $5 to 10K per child (and most people here have more than one child) summer camps from 8am - 6pm, even if mom has a nanny, a housekeeper and doesn't work. If they aren't quite that affluent, there is the town summer camp where the rest of the kids are warehoused. (I am not against summer camp, but there is a difference between giving your kids a camping experience and something to do and getting rid of them so you can shop, lunch and go to the spa, without a hassle.) People complain about the behavior of kids in the ''hood", but I have seen pretty awful behavior (drugs, vandalism, recklessness, crime) coming from the over privileged set too, it just gets swept under the rug better, even if it's less prevalent then in impoverished communities. Whenever you take the "parent" out of "parenting" the result is the same, even if the trappings are different. Unfortunately, the truths in this book hit all too close to home. It was still a fun read, but it is a truthful insight into life in upscale locations around the country and shouldn't be written off as exaggeration for the sake of humor. None the less, a fun read and recommended book.
After a chaotic few months, that has kept me away from my computer and my sanity, I took off to turquoise waters for some much needed down time at The Sun Palace in Cancun, Mexico. Only lament was that it was all too short. I look forward to catching up with my fellow Voxers! I see there is lots of new stuff going on - hope everyone is enjoying their summer!
This was in my email box this AM, and since Mother's Day is Sunday, I thought this was fitting to post:
Your Clothes:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity
clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes
for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE
your regular clothes.
______________________________________________________
Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing
religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you
remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing for you.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in
your eighth month.
______________________________________________________
The Layette:
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's
clothes, colour-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's
little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that
the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't
they?
______________________________________________________
Worries:
1st baby: At the first sign of
distress-a whimper, a frown-you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her
wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old
how to rewind the mechanical swing.
____________________________________________________
Pacifier:
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the
floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the
floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt
and pop it back in.
______________________________________________________
Diapering:
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers
every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every
two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper
before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to
their knees.
______________________________________________________
Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby
Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby
Gymnastics.
Most of us here who blog regularly and use other internet services probably find this incomprehensible, but I've met plenty of these people, even ones that are not senior citizens. I couldn't imagine my life without the 'net and if my connection goes down (rarely) I go into cardiac arrest. If I forget my cell, I turn right around to get it, I don't feel comfortable without it. What about you?
Nearly 50 Percent of Americans Have Little Use for Internet and Cell Phones, Survey Finds
Monday, May 07, 2007
NEW YORK — A broad survey about the technology people have, how they use it, and what they think about it shatters assumptions and reveals where companies might be able to expand their audiences.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project found that adult Americans are broadly divided into three groups: 31 percent are elite technology users, 20 percent are moderate users and the remainder have little or no usage of the Internet or cell phones.
But Americans are divided within each group, according to a Pew analysis of 2006 data released Sunday.
• Take this quiz and find out what kind of tech-user you are.
The high-tech elites, for instance, are almost evenly split into:
— "Omnivores," [I bet most of you reading this fall into that catagory?] who fully embrace technology and express themselves creatively through blogs and personal Web pages.
— "Connectors," who see the Internet and cell phones as communications tools.
— "Productivity enhancers," who consider technology as largely ways to better keep up with their jobs and daily lives.
— "Lackluster veterans," those who use technology frequently but aren't thrilled by it.
John Horrigan, Pew's associate director, said he started the survey believing that the more gadgets people have, the more they are likely to embrace technology and use so-called Web 2.0 applications for generating and sharing content with the world.
"Once we got done, we were surprised to find the tensions within groups of users with information technology," Horrigan said.
Many longtime Internet users, the lackluster veterans, remain stuck in the decade-old technologies they started with, Horrigan said. That a quarter of high-tech elites fall into this category, he said, shows untapped potential for companies that can design next-generation applications to pique this group's interest.
The moderate users were also evenly divided into "mobile centrics," those who primarily use the cell phone for voice, text messaging and even games, and "connected but hassled," those who have used technology but find it burdensome.
Mobile companies, he said, can target the mobile centrics with premium services, especially once faster wireless networks become available.
The Pew study found 15 percent of all Americans have neither a cell phone nor an Internet connection. Another 15 percent use some technology and are satisfied with what it currently does for them, while 11 percent use it intermittently and find connectivity annoying.
Eight percent — mostly women in the early 50s — occasionally use technology and might use more given more experience. They tend to still be on dial-up access and represent potential high-speed customers "with the right constellation of services offered," Horrigan said.
The telephone study of 4,001 U.S. adults, including 2,822 Internet users, was conducted Feb. 15 to April 6, 2006, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
JJ's No 'Poo Challenge:
- No Poo Primer
- No Poo Methodology & Tips
- No Poo Advocates & Info
- Humorous Brit No Poo Commentary
- No Poo Testimonial from a Former Skeptic
- LJ No Poo Community
- Alternate No Poo Method
- "Upscale" No Poo
- More "Upscale" No Poo
- More Tips at Pioneer Thinking
There are many reasons one could cite to go without using detergent or shampoo on your hair, and I could ascribe to most of them. I have very thick, dry, coarse, processed (bleach), wavy hair and have used every product known to man (and then some) to keep it in good condition. I have found a couple things I like, but they are costly.
I am learning (too soon old, too late smart) as the years pass the importance of simplifying my life and my routines, rather than adding more clutter, expense and time wasters. I am ready once again to take the "No Shampoo Challenge" and use only baking soda and apple cider vinegar rinse once again. I have tried [cheap] conditioner only no 'poo but I didn't like it all that well. I have not used WEN by Chaz Dean which I've heard wonderful things about. As much as it seems to work for most who use it, making their hair far more shiny and sleek, it still is expensive and this is about saving money, using natural products with multiple uses and streamlining lifestyle.
Even though I will be trying the baking soda and apple cider vinegar methods outlined above, I will still use my stinky, funky, cigarette and hippie monkey love Ojon hair treatment once a week (which you supposedly don't have to do, but the South American Indians do the "No Poo" gig along with Ojon nut oil treatments, so hey, it can't hurt, right?), which really helps but, let me tell you, the smell, even for me, someone who likes earthy smells, is rank. I think this is a streamlined, inexpensive alternative that hopefully will combat the summer effects of my sun and water worship, as I am in a pool or in the ocean pretty much daily as of Memorial Day. Even though I cover my head with a hat, my hair, is still exposed to sun, chlorine and salt while I swim or relax in the water, and let's face it, I don't wear a hat every waking moment. FYI, I am NOT wearing a bathing cap, so don't even go there. Sorry!
So I will let you know how Java Jane's No 'Poo Challenge/Experiment works out. I dare you to take the challenge, if you are so bold, too. If you have tried any of the above outlined no poo methods, water only, baking soda and apple cider vinegar rinses or conditioner only, I'd love to hear your comments or email feedback. Even if you think no shampoo is absolute insanity, those comments are welcome too.
Simplicity As A Lifestyle [voluntary simplicity] I'm moving towards this and in some ways hope the tips here help you simplify, streamline and organize to live better and gtd (get things done) in less time so you can live more richly and spend more time doing what you enjoy!
What websites do you visit every day?
Submitted by Chez Michelle.
In an effort to streamline my life and get more things done in less time which in turn allows me more time for the pleasant things and less time spent dealing with the daily grind, I pretty much only go to a few sites, as I have most of them consolidated under one roof. I swear by Netvibes as my start page, which is where I go several times a day, as I have everything I want there, for the most part. Weather, multiple emails, news, blogs and rss, my del.icio.us bookmarks, websites I like embedded, entertainment, torrents, travel, shopping, etc. all tabbed out nicely. I still do visit Google Reader (although I don't have to) when I'm really digging through all my RSS like a madwoman. In short, I visit tons of sites, from gtd, tech, entertainment, shopping, news, scrapbooking, music related, and more, but having all these under one roof means I really only go to a few sites a day.
Another site I daily navigate to is my personal hobby website for Generation 80s [alternative] Retro Radio to say "hi" to my listeners via the Shoutbox during the day and to my administration panel at Live365 to change or program my playlists daily. Of course, I come here, to Vox. Did you know you can set groups of tabs to open up simultaneously in Firefox, so all you have to do is click on the description on your links bar or in your bookmarks and all those pages you like daily will open? Even better is the Firefox extension Morning Coffee which gives you the ability to manage and organize regularly visited websites by day and open them up simultaneously by integrating it with your daily routine. Now you can have your favorite AM sites open when you come down for coffee, work related sites you must read open at 11am, or the news and comics waiting for you at night. If it could only make the coffee, I'd be golden.
